Hands-on Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed

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We take over Earth in this exclusive first play session. New media included.

By Bozon

Back at E3 2004 THQ announced a new sci-fi throwback action/adventure game that put players in the dulled grey skin of a blaster-wielding extra terrestrial. Destroy All Humans quickly gained a cult following, despite the government's Roswell-like attempts at shutting the little grey men down entirely. The 50s were conquered, and so Destroy All Humans moved on to the 60s, again on PS2. We're now three years after the game's first mysterious arrival on our little blue planet, and the horrid E.T. critters have now landed on Earth once again; this time in 1970. Enter Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Unleashed.

Destroy All Humans won't be hitting Wii, PS2, or PSP until 2008, but that didn't stop us from abducting the team from Locomotive Games for an exclusive first hands-on experience with the cult classic's third rendition earlier this week. We're delivering you this hands-on from an undisclosed location, on an undisclosed computer terminal, at a&#Array; disclosed time; right now. Why the sudden concern, you may ask? The aliens have again landed, and we fear they're already among us.

They're back!

Like its predecessors, Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Unleashed plays out in a classic throwback sci-fi manner, delivering a larger-than-life story that excels at being tongue-in-cheek at all times. Players take the role of Crypto, a representative from space's distant planet in search for human DNA in the form of brain stems. Over the year's Crypto's race has developed impressive cloning technology, only to find that their efforts may be entirely in vain, as each subsequent clone results in diminishing return. They're "less than man", so to speak, as cloned aliens lack the genitalia - and of course self-respect, confidence, and libido that comes with it - to further the species. The result: A quest to earth in search of DNA.

From the get-go fans of the previous PS2 efforts will notice that Big Willy Unleashed is a true sequel, bringing back many of the items, controls, and strategies as the previous games. You'll again attack earth by foot and in air, either controlling Crypto directly or by piloting a UFO for mass mayhem and astronomical abductions. In our first playthrough we had access to every weapon in the game, with our favorites being the classic blaster - quite shocking - and the zombie gun. On PS2 the controls will stay entirely traditional, while Wii brings in the IR/analog combination found in other third-person games already on the system. The IR precision is certainly a huge selling point on Wii, as you can move and aim with quick flicks of the wrist. You'll also have access to tons of alien powers, each made more immersive on Wii with simple motion - grab a human and then flick your wrist to chuck them, or swing your Wii-mote hand around to bash them into other objects.

And while the game is 99% the same between PS2 and Wii there are still a few minor differences to be had. When taking over a human's body, for instance - something you'll need in stealth missions constantly - PS2 players will need to use a button combination to seize control. On Wii, this microgame will be handled with very quick, precise icons surrounding the human. Shoot these icons fast enough and you'll win the challenge. Other differences between the two versions include ship control - Wii-mote tilt for changing the height of the ship - camera control, and Big Willy attacks.